In the U.S., thousands of animals, like mice, rabbits, and guinea pigs, are
still used to test cosmetic and personal care products, despite the fact that
humane testing methods are available and widely accepted. These animals
experience tremendous pain and suffering, as chemicals and ingredients are put
in their eyes and on their skin to measure levels of irritation. They are also
forced to inhale and ingest chemicals to see if these substances are toxic, and
often animals are killed at the end of these experiments.

The HCA would prohibit the use of animals to test cosmetics, as well as
the sale of animal tested products. Fines for those who break the law can be as
much as $10,000 per violation.

Do you believe that animals should not be
used to test cosmetics and personal care products? You are not alone! More than
two thirds of American voters believe that cosmetics should not be tested on
animals. Now it's time for Congress to act and end the use of animals in testing
by supporting the Humane Cosmetics Act!

EpiSkin
Replaces Animal Testing

An example of an alternative to using animals in
cosmetic testing is a dime-sized piece of lab-grown human skin called EpiSkin.
It can be used to measure the irritancy and correstivity of chemicals, replacing
rabbits and guinea pigs who have traditionally been used and suffered in such
testing. As noted in this piece, "It makes the need to test ingredients on live
animals in lab tests obsolete." Cosmetics giant L'Oréal acquired the technology
to grow human skin 20 years ago and further developed the EpiSkin model to what
it is today.

Victory
for Liberia Chimps!

AAVS is happy to report that the New York Blood Center,
which abandoned over 60 chimps in Liberia after using them in painful hepatitis
research, agreed to contribute $6 million to help cover the cost of the lifetime
care of these animals. HSUS will also provide more funds to ensure that the
future of these chimps is secure. When AAVS first learned about this situation,
we were quick to offer help and sent out several e-alerts asking our supporters
to take action on the chimps' behalf. To those who wrote and donated to this
cause, thank you very much!

Number
of Animals Used in Research Increases

Last year, 820,812 animals covered by
the Animal Welfare Act were used in research, an increase of nearly 7% from
2015. This is the first time in several years that the overall number has gone
up. There were substantial increases in primates (15%) and sheep (14%). The
number of animals used in painful procedures with no relief increased by 3%. The
number of cats decreased 5% and less than 1% for dogs. This data doesn't include
mice, rats, and fish, who comprise about 95% of all animals used in labs.